Friday Fashion | Valentina Expressions

April Light | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

15 Apr 2018 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #2018YellowSulphure, #YellowClothes, #YellowColor, #YellowEnergy, #YellowFashion

Light is delicate, the air is fizzy, flowers are in bloom, nature is crisp, I am pondering light thoughts and seeing dreams. This is April in a whole new light.

In Europe, in April we exchanged the wardrobe, lighter weight clothes came down from the top of the wardrobe and we put winter clothes back in boxes well cleaned and ironed, ready for the next season.
In April we wore pastels and lighter color clothes, we wanted to blend in with the fresh nature. We wore layers of clothes to fight cold winters and slowly, by the time April rolled in, we shed a few layers. Shedding layers of clothes happened before global warming, when all seasons followed each other punctually to the dates established by nature itself. Now, living in California, the clothes I wear are the same winter and summer, seasons do not exist anymore. With the exception of a few rainy days, it is always Spring-like here, even in the winter. Summer time might turn windy and cold one week and suddenly the next week the temperature becomes torrid and unbearable. I don’t complain about sunny days all year round, I should complain more about the price we pay for living here in a sunny region.

April is the first month of the year I get rid of things in my wardrobe, then in September again.
In April I open the windows to possibilities and keep my studio window open to let in the scent of my orange blossoms. I am blessed to work around blooming fruit trees, while somewhere else the world might be still under snow.
In April must free the body from winter toxins, make new friends and prepare to expat for a while from the routine.

April is the month of two zodiac signs, Aries and Taurus, both passionate about the light of their birthstones.
Aries rules with the warm light of yellow diamond, opal and sapphire on the cool side of the spectrum; Taurus dominates with its warm light from topaz, jasper, amber, coral, garnet, with turquoise and emerald on the cool side. If you want to wear yellow, combine it with all these jewel colors I just mentioned.

(Click on each photo to view them larger).

My April light comes from yellow. I made these two sweaters, one with cool blue rosettes and the other with avocado green threads intertwined with pale yellow. Pardon me, if every so often I shamelessly advertise them, they are in my Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValentinaExpressions

Yes, I am blond and wear a lot of yellow, it makes me feel kissed by the sun. Often, I hear women saying they can’t wear this or that color because it blends too much with the color of their hair. What about women with dark hair wearing dark colors? Doesn’t that blend with the hair? So, it’s a myth. If you like something and looks good, wear it. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. To better help people all over the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books.
Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Vintage Love | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

24 Mar 2018 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #Vintage, #VintageAccessories, #VintageFashion, #VintageFashionAccessories, #VintageStyle

If you go through your mom’s closet and drawers and you find stuff that belongs to another era, what do you do? Do you throw it all away if she has left this world, do you keep all or some, or are you in ecstasy seeing past fashion, trying on jewelry, imagining how it was, or maybe the events your mom went with those items?

Fashion of the past eras have exquisite details, some of the pieces are designed with extravagant fantasy, workmanship on some clothes is unrepeatable, delicate embroidery and intricate stitches are a work of many hours skilled hands dedicated to fashion. Take a look at these ‘window or perforated’ gloves to understand how small details like these were so important a few years ago.

(Click on each photo to view it larger).

(Photo found on: http://www.modaa.net/25-bayan-eldiven-modelleri-2014-2015)

My love for vintage would not allow me to ruthlessly discard anything without thinking of the way I can use it in my modern life. A pair of sabot like the salmon ones in the photos are perfect to wear with a 1950’s ankle pants with a side split. Vintage accessories add a touch of originality to the look.

I have collected my small pins in the photo below through the years, bought them at various antique shops or second hands stores and now I attach them on collars, fabric purses, at the edge of pants and around pockets of jackets or jeans. A bland sweater that has no particular interest, suddenly takes a new character.

I think a woman wardrobe becomes interesting when it comprises a good mix of modern accessories and accessories of a different era, trendy modern clothes and artsy pieces. Colors are important as breathing, one must have basic colors to go with some bold, vibrant colors. A good wardrobe is built to reflect the owner’s personality and not a replica of a department stores.

I hope you have something from the past that reminds you of someone, an event, a special moment that you keep enjoying in your life. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear.
To better help people all over the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Be Careful Where You Put It | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

23 Feb 2018 3 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #FashionPatterns, #FloralSkirt, #PrintedSkirt, #StrikingFashionPattern, #TieDieFashion, #WinterColos

Oh, look at this giant flower!
I fell in love with this unusual winter skirt because the flower design is thoughtfully positioned on the side and because of its bright cheerful color. This, will cheer up those few grey days we have in California.

Imagine if the giant flower was designed to cover the derrière of a woman, it wouldn’t be as appealing as it is on the side. Asymmetrical designs are interesting and please the eyes, they also say you are a type who likes challenges and translate your character as being unconventional.

I don’t want to take anything away from the skirt design, thus I decided to go with black only as the main color for the outfit. However, I want to keep the outerwear toned down. To finish this outfit, I have a couple of solutions:
1. white or black overcoat/duster in the same length of the skirt,
2. a white/black short ecological fluffy fur jacket.

(Click on each photo to view it larger).

Here it is a more spirited bold garment. There will be always someone who would put on whatever strikes his/her fancy without asking if a garment will enhance or kill the figure.
I saw this striking leggings (below) outside a hippy store in San Francisco, where young and young at heart “flower children” still buy their tie-die clothes, 1968s style. Do you really want this design in prominent view on your derrière? Apparently some people do.

At times I find things I like. They look good in store, I bring them home, look at them under a different light, I match them with the items I have, then they change my feeling and suddenly I am totally displeased. It was the case of this black skirt. Ruffles on a skirt are sassy when they are at the bottom of a pencil skirt marking the voluptuousness of a female body and adding movement to each step, but on an “A” line skirt such as this one, ruffles make a person look frumpy. I purchased it anyway, because I had a vision.

I gathered the fabric in the front of the skirt and closed it with a bobby pin, on to which I attach, or hag things. For an evening look, I attach a dark flower or a chunky brooch and for a day time look, I attach a brighter flower, fringes, tassels, or whatever looks interesting. Accessorizing this extravagant skirt takes fantasy. Detour the attention from the large flower to other parts of the body, wear gloves, pantyhose, or a hat. Needless to say, it will catch people’s attention no matter what. Are you ready to be seen and observed? Ciao.
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear.
To better help people all over the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB

My Blood Moon Palette | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

03 Feb 2018 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #BloodMoonColors, #DarkRedColors, #FashionColors, #SuperBlueBloodMoon

The cosmos was so exciting this week. A rare Super Blue Blood Moon happened, an event that has not occurred since 1866. Apparently it was a fantastic combination of the Moon coming close to Earth, making herself appearing 17 percent larger than usual, then passed through the Earth shadow, which made the Moon appeared red. It was also a full Moon twice in one month. An exceptional feast in the cosmos!
This event coincided with a total lunar eclipse and I missed it. Clouds and fog covered the reddish tint of the Moon.
Reading about this event, I learned that temperature went up to 200 F and fell below 200 F.

I wonder if people felt influenced by the movement of this powerful moon, if their emotions went on a roller coaster, or if many babies will be born this year.

I imagined a variety of reddish colors the Moon changed into as she went through the Earth shadow and that intrigued my fantasy. I was curious to see how an outfit would look in the colors of the Super Blue Blood Moon. From many photos I saw of different photographers, I picked up hues of grey, taupe, mustard, golden beige, dark red, rosy and Bordeaux.
(Click on the photo to view it larger).

My Blood Moon palette was born in my closet. It feels strong and comfortable, warm and creative. The large silky scarf, with a wavy pattern, wraps it all harmoniously and calme it down. I will wear this and I can say to be part of this beautiful Universe in motion. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear.
To better help people all over the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB

Second Time Around | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

06 Jan 2018 6 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: ##EnvironmentalFashion, #ReconstructedGarnment, #RecyclingClothes, #ReinventingFashion, #RestylingClothes

In this climate of saving the environment and recycling, every opportunity is a good opportunity to give something a second chance that would otherwise end up in land fill.
We buy an awful amount of clothes that we wear perhaps for one season, or only one time and discard them as soon as we get tired. The fashion industry is a big influencer, if it says they are no longer acceptable, we promptly get rid of them.

Have you ever thought that all those items we literally throw away, sometimes even with a price tag on, are all workable into new items? With a little creativity, it is possible to enlarge a garment with a new and different fabric or color; it is possible to pair a vintage fabric with a new one; it is possible to upgrade the look of a skirt by using the fabric of another skirt that will add interesting details and profiles. These are a few of the things we can do give a garment a second chance and to make it into something original.

My mom and her sisters, all teenagers during World War II, remade clothes due to shortage of fabrics. My grandmothers, who lived two great wars, did it before my mom. They taught me not to throw away anything and to use my imagination when time comes to give something a second chance. Remaking clothes into something new is amusing and rewarding.
(Click on each photo to view it larger).

I made this original black jacket (above) using a folk Romanian fabrics purchased in one of my travels. If I had made the jacket with only a black fabric, it would have looked like a common black jacket. Using a colorful folk print, front and back and only on one side of the jacket, not only I created an unusual look, but the colors brought life the black side. Closure was off-center with clay buttons I created and painted myself. Lining it with golden-yellow was a great idea, it added an interesting view when the jacket was open.
I sold it big time and I made a few people unhappy along the way. Due to the limited fabric, I could not produce more than one piece.

I want to remake the sun jacket above with animal print fabric at the bottom edge.
How do you know when two fabrics look perfect together, you might ask?
Your eyes are the first judge of that. If it looks good in your eyes, it means it is right.
Colors are common denominators. Find one color in the existent garment to match with the new fabric.
Prints go well with solids and geometry makes playful matches.

In the case of my sun jacket, the animal print has black in it and the uneven shapes of the animal design pairs well with the uneven shapes of the sun designs. What I like the most about this match is the lighter weight of the fabric I am using for the edge and the undulating movement it will create when I walk.

The velvet military style jacket (above) has been revived with a new velvet front panel, Renaissance style. Now, it lends itself to a new look, perhaps a Bohemian long skirt with boot, or a pair of pants in one of the bright colors in the panel.

I know that remaking clothes using old and new is a novel idea for a throw away society and some people are catching on, but if we want to be conscious of saving the environment, let’s start in our closet saving our clothes. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear.
To better help people all over the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Barnes&Nobles: https://goo.gl/Xme8Hn
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB

Color Expressions in 2018 | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

15 Dec 2017 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #2018Colors, #GoldSilverColors, #HowToCombineColors, #Pantone2018Colors, #PowerColors, #SubtleColors

Coco Chanel said; “The best color is the color that looks good on you”.
Year after year we follow colors around, we discard new clothes just because they represent last year colors and not for a moment we stop to think if those new colors are really suitable for our texture, face, age and personality, or we bought them just because they were in fashion.

I don’t get excited when I see the same colors or the same fashion style on everybody, I get totally bored. I want to see women vibrating their own energy, as it happened in the ‘20s -‘30s -‘40s -‘50s and then there was the abyss. Women of past eras wanted to be different from one another with a style, which was personal and unique to their personality. Men’s fashion has not changed that much in the last 100 years. Shirt collars were first higher and then lower, ties were first shorter, then longer, pants bottoms were large, then became skinny like a pencil, back to large and back to skinny again, jackets were single breasted and double-breasted. The basic men suit-look stayed the same with a few minor changes from time to time, nothing special to talk about. Women, instead, have slipped from looking sophisticated, classy and elegant to plunging into vulgarity. The other day, I saw a woman walking in the street dressed in a striped white and blue pajama, house slippers with fake fur all around, a Gucci bag on her arm and a diamond ring on the finger. Not only she devalued the diamond ring, but she looked awful and totally sloppy.

I am a highly attentive person, I see small details other people don’t notice and I am aware of my surroundings. Here, I am only making an observation of what I saw in the street, I don’t wish to change a nation. If women feel good going out in the streets in a striped pajama or rollers in their hair, more power to them. Happiness, after all, is also feeling free and detached from society’s constrictions. I am just very sad that women don’t care for the way they look anymore.
I want to bring the beauty of life created with the right colors to those people who want to listen and want to find harmony within themselves.

Those who still care about their appearance, should find colors and style that look good on them, colors that nourish their soul and make them feel good. They should find the style, which gives them an aura of self-esteem and allows them to leave an impression behind when they exit a room.

Based on Pantone color choices for 2018, I have created three palettes easy to compose as your next color expressions in the next year. (Click on each photo to view it larger).

Teck – A technique to combine Bright Turquoise, Pink and Purple colors anchored with Brilliant White or Frosted Almond.

Discretion – Nostalgic hues for a subtle palette, such as Elderberry, Burnished Lilac, and Hawthorne Rose combine with strengthening tones, such as Coffee or Gold.

Intricacy – Intensity to convey power and to providing an eclectic mix of colors balanced with Black, Gold, Silver or Bossa Nova.

Style is a journey, putting clothes on is just covering the body. Once you find your powerful colors and style, that “first impression” will give you the right vibrations and the world will know who you are! I hope you will try these colors and if you want to show them, please post them here. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear.
To better help people all over the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB

Sculpture In My Hands | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

01 Dec 2017 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #ChicInVintage, #HowToDressWithVintage, #LucitePurses, #VintageFashion, #VintagePurses

Welcome to December episode of Friday Fashion.
There is nothing better I like than dressing in modern clothes and accessorize my outfits with vintage items. It’s a playful look and not necessarily prim, snobbish.
The fact is, a vintage accessory goes well with everything we wear today. The clothes of today are mass-produced and lack originality. The moment one thinks is wearing something original, thousands examples exactly the same have come out at the same time filling stores with garment-uniforms. In the past, when clothes were tailored, every woman was original, details on the garment were exceptional, different from one dress to another and often reflected the fantasy of the tailoress. Well-designed original dresses required just as original accessories for a finishing touch.
(Click on each photo to view it larger).

I own Lucite and other vintage purses mostly from the ‘40s and ‘50s, they all find their place with my outfit and somehow, they work every time. Some purses have lids that open and reveal mirrors, lipstick case or small make-up compartments, some even have a cigarette case attached. Their value today is very high, they might range from $50 to over $500.

Play with geometry – I attribute the success of combining modern with vintage to the futurist shapes of some vintage purses: square and rectangular box styles, ovals, trapezoid, cylinders, scalloped shaped……

Let’s say you are wearing an A line skirt, your vintage purse looks better if it is vertical in a long shape. Why? The A line skirt flair out from the body, the cylinder purse will balance the visual puffiness of the skirt.
If you are wearing a cigarette pair of pants, the round barrel or the square purse will look better.

Clothes as Architecture
Clothes and accessories follow the same principle of architecture. It must be aesthetically pleasing and proportionate to create harmony on the body. When we look at a building with classic architecture we might see a row of windows with triangle pediments on top, then below we see a row of windows with arched tops, then again, another row of windows with triangle pediments. This is called repetition in harmony. We sculpt our body the same way with colors and shapes. In my drawing is easy to understand how to counterbalance triangle shapes with round shapes and square shapes with rectangular shapes, just as architects do. This eliminates boredom and it is easy on the eyes.

If your body is round, your purses shapes should be vertical and rectangular, if your body is rectangular, you can choose the round shape purses. Difficult? It might be at the beginning, once you get the hang of it, you will love to play this game. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. To better help people all over the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors:
©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on

Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB

Life To A Cloth | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

10 Nov 2017 4 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #TailoredClothes, #TailoredSuits, #TailorScissors, #TailorTrade, #TailorWork, #WomenTailors

This Friday Fashion is about a charming trade.
Today, they are called “Men of Cloth” and “Men of Artistry”, they are those few tailors left in the world. Their stories are so similar to the tailoresses’ stories, I know so well. My mom and all her sisters were professional tailoresses. The difference between a tailoress and a seamstress? Like day and night, without putting one on the pedestal and diminishing the other. They both contribute to the beauty of a person in a different way.

In my mom’s era, both men and women learned some king of trade in school or off school, a solid trade to make a living and support families. Tailoring was an art, it was about choosing a piece of cloth and make it come alive on someone’s body. Anyone going in that trade, had to start from the basics, learn how to manage the needle, how to use a thimble, how to do basting (a rough stitching that holds two pieces of cloth together, whether it was for hemming, holding fabric and lining, or interface) and even learn how to hold a scissor in the hand. The apprentices learned the artistry of making a perfect garment from established tailor teachers with a reputation of being beyond strict.

Artistry is having the ability to bend a piece of metal, to tame a stone, to shape a cloth, to give a life to any material as the artist wants. My mom celebrated the woman’s body, transformed large women, women with birth defects, tall and small women into perfect bodies, she made clothes to highlight their best features and knew how to hide imperfections.

In her sewing laboratory there was camaraderie between the girls working for her. Married women workers shared marriage hardships, kids difficulties and kids sicknesses, the single girls shared love stories and dreamt with opened eyes. They were proud to work in my mom’s tailor laboratory. Working condition were good, clean and most of them knew my mom put high quality craftsmanship at the centre of their attention. They wanted to work for her, she was kind, sweet and understanding, very unusual qualities as a boss in the tailor trade. Our younger workers were always excited to get a glimpse at the clients’ young sons picking up their moms after fittings, the girls waited for that moment to be noticed. There was a lot of giggling and many mirrors came out of their purse to smear more red lipsticks or freshen up a make-up, every time there was a rich boy at the door. My mom’s clients were wealthy, every young worker aspired to end up in the grace of one of those wealthy kids one day.

With a few tricks of the trade, which weren’t tricks, but professional knowledge, my mom made miracles on paper patterns she drew free hands. She knew how to make the stomach of a woman disappear by drawing the right slit on the paper pattern, or how to augment a small breast with a dart in the right place. She knew how to make uneven shoulders look even and square, or uneven arm look the same length. All the designs happened on paper first, then transferred on cloth.

Her tools of the trade had been the same for over 65 years: chalk, measuring tapes, paper, pencils, some squares she never used, thimbles, heavy scissors, some decorated with cherubs or metal embroiders, some plain and heavy. She carried her scissors hanging on her waist, like a guard carries a gun on the side of the body. She never wanted anyone to use her scissors. Where did they end up? I wished I had them today.

(Click each photo to view it larger).

(Above https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Art-Noueau-Gilt-Brass-Handled-Scissors-of-Unusual-Form/112629748198?hash=item1a394191e6:g:oXMAAOSwOA1Z~mmJ)

Her laboratory was in the house where we lived. Workers came to work there and they were part of our family life. It wasn’t an industrial place, like this one in my photos, but more like a large salon with nice furniture, sofas, tall mirrors and upholstered chairs for the comfort of the clients. The working area was filled with a couple of sewing machines, iron table, cutting table, shredded fabric and thread everywhere on the floor. My mom had little time to devote to shopping and cooking. She would ask one of the girls designated for errands to go by the market to pick up this and that food between running errands for the tailor shop. Admonishing her not to flirt around too much was like telling it to the wall and completely disregarded.

(Above pictures were taken by Valentina Cirasola inside a seamstress shop with permission)

No one body is the same, there are no two people alike, the expertise of a tailor is not to make clothes that fit everybody like those mass-produced clothes today, but to understand the differences and find the solution to create visually perfect bodies, no matter the size.
My mom always said: “Style is more than putting fashionable clothes on. One must travel through life changes, accept them and adapt by wearing clothes that will give you the power each age brings”.

I learned all my mom’s trade secrets just by being there, living and breathing fabrics, threads, notions, colors, style and hearing shop talk, I learned their jargon and techniques. My mom never wanted to teach me her trade. Often she exclaimed: “The needle is very small and very heavy, learn a profession!!!”. I guess, she didn’t want me to deal with long working hours, temperamental clients, delicate fabrics, disasters of the unexpected or being in a volatile field, but life always plays tricks with us. I moved away for work, I ended up going to the Fashion Academy in Italy and worked as a fashion designer after all. The cloth that comes alive under the hand of experts, fascinated me and I wanted to be part of that magic too. If you have a dream, let it happen and if you have stories in the tailoring trade you like to share, please write me and I will share them here. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. To better help people all over the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB

Equestrian Weekend | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

29 Oct 2017 2 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #EquestrianStyle, #IndianJewelry, #LeisureClothes, #UrbanCowgirlStyle, #WesternStyleFashion

My last business trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico enticed me to look at another type of fashion, the one that is far from my city style: western style and even equestrian style. There is a lot of charm in this style, it’s a little rough, a little country, suggestive of adventures with bizarre horses running with the mane in the wind, in all their strength and grace.

Local stores in Albuquerque displayed a lot of western clothes, but I haven’t seen many people wearing that fashion in the street, except cowboy hats on a few older men.

I thought it would be interesting and fun to wear an equestrian style for a weekend in the gold country of California. Up there, one can still feel the spell of gold and the roughness of pioneers. Architecture is the same as in the 1800s, saloons are still there and people do wear this kind of clothes. At least I will not look prepared for Halloween. With this style, I have more opportunities to wear my huge turquoise index ring, an original design of Navajo Cecil Atencio.

(Click on each photo to view it larger).

I made up a concept board with all I want to wear and now that I am looking at it, I can say, it would feel comfortable wearing this style even in the city. Just need the right horse. I love the ankle bracelet to wear over the boots, nice touch! It comes in a few colors.

(All items in my concept board are from https://www.backinthesaddle.com)

This is how the concept of building a new personal wardrobe starts, when I am remaking someone’s image. I look at the client’s lifestyle and decide how many pieces of clothes he/she needs for leisure or work. I look at the colors of skin, hair and eyes, the shape of the body, I take measurements and put all the information on a concept board. Once approved, we go shopping. Nothing is difficult with experience and skills. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola, is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style has surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience in design business led her to offer consultations in both fashion and interiors, so much so that she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. She is the author of three books, one of which is a book on color theory: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Orange Of Today | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

07 Oct 2017 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #FallColors, #MustardYellow, #OrangeandPurple, #OrangeColor, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #SulfurYellow, #WarmColors

October in California is the best month, weather is mild warm and the breeze caresses softly. It is such a pleasure being seated outdoor at a restaurant and enjoy lunch with a chilled prosecco.

Today, I wanted to dress with a mix of intense Fall season colors to convey a certain strength and power nature has on me.
In a cool way, typical of my ability to mix colors, I composed my style with sulfur yellow tank, mustard yellow pants, brown leather belt, mixed brown-gold silk scarf, orange light sweater jacket and mixed jewelry in orange-brown with gold. A bit of leopard skin doesn’t hurt, especially if it is in the form of Kate Spade’s shoes. This combination is vibrant and very safe, colors are all warm and in the same family. That’s the reason they all work well together, especially if the wearer has a golden tone, olive or tanned skin.

(Click on each photo to view it larger).

Trying a combination with a cool color on the other side of the color wheel it’s not just good, it’s excellent. Orange, purple and a bit of turquoise is dynamic, zesty, eclectic and playful. As for jewelry, gold tones will go better with orange and silver will mix better with purple, it’s up to the wearer getting the sun energy from the gold or the moon energy from the silver.

Of course, many more colors love orange, as green and blue, but I will leave it to your imagination.

It is time to color your clothes, your closet, your home and everything else around. Leave the Opaque Couché color types to Mark Zuckerberg.

Colors play an important role in the vibe you give off to the rest of the world. It keep away depression, sadness and minor sicknesses. If you wear colors that make you feel good, your brain will know it, your heart will be lighter, positive energy will flow from your veins out of your skin and on your lips forming a big smile. A smile is contagious, people will notice it! Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style has surrounded her since the very beginning of her life. Her many years of experience in design business led her to offer consultations in both fashion and interiors, so much so that she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. She is the author of three books, one of which is a book on color theory: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors

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